Turnaround
by yukarikudou
Summary: Chapter six is now up! God, I love vacation... For those that are new to this fic, it's a YxAxY fic where Aya wants Youji but can't have him... or so he thinks. Youji is getting attached to Aya! Oh, and youngsters, don't read this. LEMON/Innuendo..
1. Dazed by... Flowers?

Saigo no Bansan - Theme Song is: "Crash and Burn"-- Savage Garden  
  
It was Christmastime again at the Koneko no Sumire. which may or may not have been a good thing. This was especially true for Aya and Youji, because both of them had just gone through painful breakups. actually, Youji went through a breakup almost once a month with great regularity, but most of the time it was he who was doing the breaking-up, not the other way around, and he was taking it badly. Aya, on the other hand, was almost the exact opposite as far as breakups went. He almost never had a girlfriend to break up with in the first place, and when he did, it often happened that the girl thought he was too cold, or some such "fault," so she broke up with him. So like I said, it was Christmas again at the Koneko, and both Youji and Aya were off sulking. Omi, being the kind of guy that he is, was decorating the apartments and the shop. Ken was. uhh. *trying* to help, but he just wasn't any good with those things, so he went out to get the groceries for the day. Omi continued acting disgustingly cheerful and humming along with the wacked-out gaijin Christmas music, which he actually seemed to enjoy. Youji was sitting outside in the snow, smoking under the awning that they put up when there was inclement weather, and looking really depressed. No one blamed him. that last girl had really been something special, but still, thought Ken from his vantage point across the road, it was fun to tease Youji-kun. Ken started across the street, juggling paper bags full of food. Youji didn't stir even when Ken made all that racket, where he normally would have been on Ken's case in an instant. Ken clomped up, making a ton more noise than he usually did in an effort to alert the sullen figure that he was coming. Youji barely glanced up.  
  
// Geez // thought Ken. // This guy is so totally immersed in depression, nothing will get him out of it but some serious drinking. then again, I'll bet that in this state Yo-tan turns out to be one of those depressed drunks like Aya. Speaking of Aya, there he was. //  
  
Aya was sitting inside on the comfortable-looking couch, reading a novel. Ken peered more closely at the figure on the other side of the glass, trying to determine the type of book that Aya was reading. Ken leaned closer and closer to the glass, not realizing that Youji had returned from his former spaced-out state of mind, and was staring at Ken like he was doing something really strange.  
  
"Ken?" said Youji, sounding inquiring, but effectively startling Ken enough out of his spying to fall face first against the clean glass.  
  
"whaddayawantanyway, asshole?" Ken muttered somewhat indistinctly from somewhere near the pavement.  
  
"What are you doing?" Youji asked innocently. Ken lifted a feeble finger and gestured towards the book Aya was reading.  
  
Youji, too, leaned towards the glass until his nose was pressed against it, creating a small cloud of mist on the window.  
  
"It would appear that Aya is reading a novel," commentated the taller man while Ken recovered from SD. "It would also appear to be.." At this point, Youji took off his dark glasses in order to see better. ".. it would appear to be.." At this point, Youji squawked loudly and made an undignified and hasty retreat from the window. Ken looked very interested in what his co- worker and friend had to say.  
  
Youji spluttered for several seconds, trying to regain his famous composure and failing miserably. "R-r-r-RACY ROMANCE NOVEL!!!!!!!!!!" he shrieked, acting uncharacteristically freaked-out.  
  
Ken just stared at the other guy. Aya and a RACY ROMANCE NOVEL, no less. Ken then and there decided that he really, really didn't want to know, while at the same moment Youji decided that he absolutely had to know. They both made a bolt of the door to inside, jostling each other in the process and getting stuck in the doorway. Aya looked up from his * ahem * book and stared at the very odd scenario of Youji and Ken stuck in a doorway in their hurry to get to him. The scene was made even weirder than it already was by the fact that both Ken and Youji started to babble at him at the same time while still trying to squeeze through the doorframe. Was this some sort of strange confessional? Aya was most definitely puzzled, but made his decision about whether or not he wanted to know faster than either Youji or Ken had.  
  
"Go away," Aya quipped calmly, and started reading again. Youji all of a sudden slithered himself somehow out of the traffic jam and snatched Aya's book from his hands. Aya screeched unhappily and tried futilely to get his novel back. Youji, a triumphant grin on his face, held the book high above his head (a good way up from the ground) and started to read the title.  
  
"True Love's Touch." He smirked and read on while Ken and Omi rolled on the floor laughing and Aya stood there stiffly, a light blush coloring his cheeks and anger sparking in his eyes.  
  
"You let go of that, Kudou Youji!" snapped Aya furiously. "It's my book, and I was reading! Doesn't anyone give anyone else any privacy these days?!"  
  
"No," chorused Omi, Ken, and Youji at the same time. Aya seized the book and a comforter he had been curled up in and stomped off to his room. Omi looked concernedly after him, but not too concernedly; Aya did that kind of thing a lot, and it was just so funny. Youji and Ken were gasping for breath and gesturing helplessly at one another. Periodically one would try to say something. The other would understand exactly what he meant, and they would then commence to laugh even harder than before. Pretty soon, Omi had joined in and forgotten totally about Aya.  
  
The afternoon passed as it usually did during the holidays, with Omi finishing the decorating with Ken and Youji cooking something tasty for lunch. Early in the evening, Omi invited Manx and Birman over for an impromptu gathering. Omi had an idea for this Christmas: He wanted to have everyone pick a 'Secret Santa,' someone to give little gifts to during the week of holiday time, then reveal themselves to each other with a big gift on the night before Christmas. When six o'clock rolled around, Manx and Birman showed up, taking off their hats and scarves. Aya still hadn't come downstairs, but no one was worried - he often wanted independent time, and if anyone disturbed him he was a total bastard about it. That being so, the little holiday party among good friends continued, everyone drinking eggnog and hot cider. When there was a lull in the conversation and laughter, Omi decided to bring up his thoughts about Secret Santas. Everyone, thank goodness, thought it was a great idea. Youji went into the kitchen to get pens and paper, and Omi grabbed a hat (it turned out to be Birman's). They each wrote their names on two slips of paper and put both into the hat. Ken picked first, and although no one was allowed to tell anyone else who their Secret Santa was, for the purposes of the story you get to know who picked whom. Ken got Birman. He looked thoughtful as he stuck the little slip of paper into a pocket. Then, Manx went. She drew Omi, and frowned as though really trying to figure out what to get him. Omi went then, and drew Ken. Omi only smiled secretively to himself. obviously he knew what he was about. Birman went then, and when she picked Manx she grinned (they were like sisters). Finally, Youji drew the last slip of paper and burst out laughing. It was Aya! Youji guessed that Omi had written down an "Aya" paper, too, so everyone would have a Secret Santa. Shaking his head, the tall, thin member of Weiß went into the kitchen to get the soup for everyone. The party continued, each buddy thinking over good presents for their "victim." Everyone liked Youji's soup. Birman flirted unashamedly with Youji, Ken, and even Manx, but had to flirt at Omi. As the evening wore on, people began to drift off into corners, talking in pairs. Youji flirted some more with Manx, chatting companionably for a while, but all of a sudden she grinned at him in a weird sort of way and walked away. Youji, puzzled, walked after her and asked, "Um, Manx, weren't we just having a conversation?"  
  
Manx looked up at him, feigning a bit of surprise. "We? I was trying to have a conversation with you, but you? Your mind's a million miles away, Yo- tan. I know a guy with something on his mind when I see one, and you are it." Manx smiled teasing at Youji while he stared at her, open-mouthed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go cheer up our resident kid." Manx gently disengaged herself from Youji's hand on her shoulder and walked over to a morose Omi, who had no one to talk to. Youji was still in shock, his hands hanging limply by his sides and his mouth still opening and closing like a goldfish's. Finally, he let out a gusty sigh and headed over to the couch to ponder what on Earth he could have been thinking about instead of Manx, since he couldn't recall the last time he didn't pay attention to the girl he was talking to, especially Manx or Birman. And she took it so well! Youji tucked his feet underneath himself and leaned on the arm of the sofa to think. Several times he tried to remember who or what he was thinking about at the time, but he kept on spacing out, staring out the windows at the snow falling from the heavens outside. His eyes glazed over, and he had to be shaken several times by Birman to get his attention when she and Manx wanted to say goodbye. "Youji? Youji, what is up with you? Manx and I are going home to our beds now, don't you want to say goodbye?" Birman sounded slightly concerned that Youji had slipped something into his own eggnog or something.  
  
"No, no, I'm just fine, sorry I spaced out. You want a hug?" Youji sounded apologetic enough, but still spaced. Birman accepted his hug, still puzzled at Youji's odd behavior. Normally, he would have been all over either she or Manx the whole night, but here he was, acting like ha actually had other things to think about on his leisure time. Manx was not so puzzled, at least, but she still had no idea what her friend was so hooked on thinking about. He'd been this way since the drawing of Secret Santas. Something to think about when she got home. Then Youji gave Manx a hug, too, and the other members of Weiß waved them out the door. Youji sat back down, but then got up again quickly and walked off to his room for a coat, scarf, and some shoes. The other guys had no idea what was wrong with Youji; they were off in a corner talking quietly about the party and having a few more drinks. Youji, usually one to join in with such carousing, shoved his feet into the shoes and put on his coat and scarf. When Omi asked where he was going, Youji was so preoccupied that he almost forgot to answer Omi's question.  
  
"Youji-kun? I asked you where you are going."  
  
"Um- I'm going to straighten up the flower shop."  
  
Youji came back forty minutes later, about nine o'clock. He came in the door, his shoulders dusted with snow, which quickly melted in the heat and stamped his feet to get the snow off his boots and grinned, just because winter is his favorite season. No one would have suspected it from looking at what he wore in summer, though. all of those clothes were very skimpy. In Youji's arms was a bundle of roses and cattleyas, along with some other assorted orchids scattered among them, their brilliantly-colored petals no match for the smile Youji now wore. All the other members of Weiß had gone to their rooms a while before, so Youji had no one to bug him when he walked in. Flowers in hand, Youji padded, catlike, up the stairs and along the hall, surpassing his own door and heading farther down the hall. When he reached the end of the hallway, the most slender member of Weiß slipped soundlessly around the corner and up to the door of the team's leader. Youji carefully turned the doorknob and slid into Aya's apartment. Youji didn't know where Aya was in his apartment, so he had to be very careful.  
  
Youji crept cautiously into the other man's apartment, holding the flowers clutched against his chest. Youji peered into the first doorway he came to, checking for the presence of Aya. Nope, just a bathroom. Next door was a bedroom, and Aya wasn't there, either. The end of the hall was approaching, and at this point Youji had to assume that all the apartments were the same, because there was a light on at the end of the hall, and in Youji's apartment that meant a big room without a door. The invader stepped even more softly than he had before, and peered around the corner. It was, indeed, a large room with no door. Aya had divided it up into sections using an ingenious arrangement of furniture and pillows, with plants in one corner and pillows and bookshelves in another. Youji's gaze was immediately drawn to that corner of the room, because Aya was there, reading and sipping fragrant tea out of a cute little kids' mug with a clown on it.  
  
// I wonder where he got that? // Youji thought to himself. Thankfully, Aya's back was to Youji, so if he was quiet enough, Youji could sneak into the kitchen and put the flowers on the table without Aya noticing a thing.  
  
// Make a dash for it when he turns the page // And then Youji crouched down as far as he could and traversed rapidly and silently towards the kitchen door. Aya glanced up once, but assumed it was nothing and went back to reading. Youji made it to the kitchen, waited to hear cars go by outside, and placed his secret burden on the table. This time Aya glanced up more sharply, but he still had no idea what was going on. Youji then took a deep, silent breath in and let it out just as silently. Everything was going as planned, and maybe, just maybe, his first present as a Secret Santa would actually be anonymous without getting him killed. Youji prepared quietly for his mad dash across the floor, and a mysterious force of goodwill somehow backed up his preparations when the French windows next to Aya's pillows blew wide open. When Aya muttered a curse and ran over to them, making a lot of noise, Youji took his chance and ran for the door, just barely making it out in time. He turned and shut the door quietly behind him and sagged against it, breathing heavily. Slowly, Youji pushed himself off the door, turned around to look at it, then turned and walked away, heading for his room. Youji wore a huge grin, he felt free and good and whole like he hadn't for weeks and believed again. in life, love, and the reality of human goodness. 


	2. Spiked Cider and Melting Icecube

Author notes: Not much. First serious Weiss ficcie, so please R & R! I will love you forever! ^_^ All you hentai's out there, you're gonna have to wait, 'cuz in this one, things are gonna go slowly. Like a normal relationship. As much as one of those can happen between an ice prince and a supposedly straight playboy who turn out to be. um. not so straight. Ehehehe. Anyways, read and review please! I bask in comments. Tell me if there are any inconsistencies at mailto:rosevickery@msn.com. I love you guys!  
  
Warnings: a bit of shounen-ai, lemon, weird humour, some OOC.  
  
Pairings: Aya X Youji, Youji X Aya. P'raps Ken X Omi, later.  
  
  
  
Aya, on the other hand, was seriously in doubt of the goodness of French doors. They fought him as though alive, and it was a semi-exhausted Aya-kun that made his way to the kitchen. Head down, the redhead grabbed a towel from the clothes-drying rack and started to towel his hair dry. It had gotten pretty wet from that blast of snowy wind, and Aya was in no mood to be damp. He finished up the business with the hair, and dropped the now- soggy towel on a nearby chair. He still hadn't lifted his eyes farther from the ground than the leg of the table. Finally, getting disgusted at his hair's behavior, Aya glanced up at the clock. and down to the table. and a look of shock came over his face.  
  
// A bundle of flowers? // thought Aya puzzledly. // Wonder what kind they are. //  
  
Aya leaned over and picked up the bouquet. Before, when its contents were turned away from him, Aya had been in shock, but when he took one look at all his favorite flowers, most prominently among them roses and the image flowers of his friends, he was speechless. No one had ever given him a gift so perfectly suited to him in every way. It was as if he had unknowingly spilled his deepest, most dear feelings to someone and now he couldn't remember who or where or even when he had done such a thing.  
  
The surprised look on his face never diminished, but also sharing the space was a look of thankfulness, to whatever and whoever had allowed him to have this very thoughtful gift.  
  
Then he sniffed the flowers, at first almost tentatively, then with more pleasure as he realized that along with the delicious scents of orchids and roses mixing together, there was another scent, like. snow. The whole bouquet seemed permeated with the delicate, sharp scent of fresh snow, and it provoked memories of him and Aya-chan, laughing in the snow, or skiing down a floodlit trail at night, having snowball fights. and then he smelled something else. It was a half-forgotten scent, as though it was familiar, enticing, as though he was surrounded by this scent every day but was so used to it now that he half-ignored it. What was that scent? It plagued him as he sat there, holding the bouquet to his face and unconsciously sniffing deeper, as though he wanted more of that smoky perfume in his lungs. He rubbed his wet hair a little, as though that would bring back those memories that before now had been right there, whenever he wanted. suddenly he realized he couldn't remember leaving his door unlocked. Aya stood, and, holding the bunch of flowers in his hand, went to check on the door. It wasn't locked. Aya frowned prettily and opened the door to look out into the hall. He saw only three wet footprints heading away from his door, but there were no more after that, much to Aya's consternation. Who had been in his room? HE knew it had to be one of the other members of Weiß, no one else but Manx and Birman had access to the upper part of the apartment building unless brought in by one of the residents. Odd, that. Aya bent his head again to sniff at the flowers, not caring that any one of his fellow assassins could see him standing there, much more vulnerable than usual.  
  
  
  
It was light, too light, on the back of Ken's eyelids. He groaned, half- asleep, and threw a sleep-heavy arm over his eyes, trying futilely to block the streams of sunlight that somehow pushed their way into his room. He had a terrible headache, and it wasn't just because of the sudden morning; Ken knew he had had much too much to drink last night, but who was to know that Birman had Youji had spiked the cider when no one was looking. Or maybe he had only spiked Ken's mug, and everyone else knew all about it. Ken grunted and made an attempt to open his eyes and sit up. The sitting-up part was accomplished with a minimum of pain and swirling sensations, but when the soccer player tried to pry his hurting eyes open, he yelled in pain and settled for cracking them open. Peering through slits of eyes, Ken made his way to the bathroom and splashed freezing water on his face and upper body. He stumbled rapidly out of the bathroom and over to the closet. What to wear? Ken shrugged his muscular shoulders and grabbed the first shirt and pants that sort of looked like they matched and didn't hurt his head with their colors. Struggling into his clothing, Ken hopped awkwardly over to the door into the hall and opened it, making sure first that no one was outside lurking for him, as Omi was apt to do in the mornings. Ken yawned hugely and began to pick his way down the hall, avoiding the various arrangements that someone had carelessly thrown up here in an effort to clean up for the party. He somehow made it down the stairs without being killed and ran straight into Aya, standing at the very bottom of the short staircase, sniffing flowers and looking sort of lost. Ken yelled in surprise for the second time that morning.  
  
"Kuso, Aya! What the hell are you doing at the bottom of the stairs?! I nearly fell on top of you!" Ken was cursing and hopping up and down on one foot, also for the second time this morning, but for different reasons than the first time he had done it.  
  
Aya merely Looked At Ken and walked away.  
  
"Man, he can be so cold sometimes," Ken grumbled, but his heart wasn't really in it. Aya looked. different. Changed, somehow. That was odd; just yesterday afternoon, the red-haired leader had stalked out a couple hours before the party had started, and hadn't even come down for dinner. That was Aya for you. Ken's musings at an end, he walked warily into the kitchen, to discover Aya cooking breakfast just as he usually did, and humming a Gackt song. Wait a minute! A GACKT SONG - AYA - it was just too much for Ken-kun's poor, hung-over brain to take, especially paired with the racy romance novel of yesterday. The normally genki soccer player keeled over in a dead faint. As his head hit the ground, it made a soft clunking sound, drawing the previously cooking Aya's attention from the food and to his teammate. Aya checked him over, saw nothing wrong with Ken aside from a terrible hangover (what HAD those three gotten themselves into while he was gone?) and left Ken there for a bit, while he finished cooking. Finally, with a cup of tea and a newspaper in hand, Aya sat down at the table and began to read his paper, as he did every morning. When his recently-fainted friend groaned, Aya looked down at Ken and told him that there was a hangover remedy in the little blue bag near the green tea. Ken groaned again, in agreement, and made his feeble way over to the cabinet to find the medicine. Ken's hand closed around the bag, and Youji came padding into the kitchen. He paused for a moment to look at Ken's state and glance at the newspaper, before asking Aya a question that he knew perfectly well the answer to.  
  
"So, oh great leader of the flower crew, who gave you the lovely bouquet?" Youji picked up the vase that his offering had been placed in and sniffed deeply, smiling teasingly at the calm leader of the group. Or, at least he was calm until Youji it one of the rose petals off and ate it, all the while studiously looking straight into Aya's violet eyes. Aya blushed, just a light tinge of pink at the base of his neck and along the cheekbones, and Youji chuckled lasciviously. "Just playing with your head, Aya darling. Nothing else. But who did bring you these wonderful flowers? I couldn't have picked them better to match you had I done it myself," Youji said, trying to act nonchalant. Aya shook his head, saying, "I have no idea. They appeared on my kitchen table last night just after I had a battle with those horrible French doors again. Can't imagine who left them for me, but they're very nice. I especially like the mix of roses and cattleyas. they have a nice scent when put together," Aya commented, apparently not realizing what he had just said. (Youji's image flower is cattleyas. It's a kind of orchid. Aya's is the rose.) Youji's sleep-washed eyes widened just a little bit, but then sagged down again to being half-lidded. Ken gulped orange juice and ate toast, now that Aya's very effective remedy had kicked in. "Arigatou, Aya-kun," he sighed, as the pain and dizziness went away. Youji shot an amused glance at Ken, interpreting correctly that Ken's cider had been a bit too.  
  
umm. alcoholic. Aya looked up at Ken with a scowl. "Just don't get drunk next time, okay? I have a limited amount of those things, and if I assume correctly that Youji and you went to a bar or something, he'll be needing one too." Aya glared at Youji, who winked at him roguishly and said that he actually didn't need one, he was fine since he hadn't drunk anything last night but a bit of un-spiked hot cider. Aya looked a bit annoyed to be showed up, but Ken was already gone, going to meet the soccer team he coached on the weekends and during holidays.  
  
Youji smiled a little wider and stretched, lazy like a cat, his long legs ending up on the other side of the table. Aya went pointedly back to his paper, and it was fairly obvious that it had been read several times, cover- to-cover. Youji got up from his languorous posing and went to find some breakfast somewhere in the kitchen. Aya gestured towards the stove, where a cup of Youji's favorite tea and a bowl of rice lay. Youji was a bit surprised that he got breakfast, too, since normally Aya wouldn't bother to cook it for anyone but himself and the younger members of Weiß. He usually left Youji on his own as far as breakfast. Puzzled, Youji ate his breakfast and drank his tea, aware that a pair of violet-colored eyes watched him over the top of the newspaper. He went as slowly as possible, enjoying the company and the quiet while it lasted. Finally, to Youji's deep regret, he could no longer pretend to be eating. The lanky blonde got up and put his dishes in the sink, turned around as thought o push in his chair before leaving, but found himself sinking back down into his chair to watch Aya read. The leader of Weiß was so tense sometimes, thought Youji. He needed to loosen up. Aya looked at Youji sharply. Youji blanched and stuttered, "I just said tat out loud, didn't I." It wasn't a question. Then, for no reason at all, Youji began to grin.  
  
"What's so funny, Yo-tan? You want to enlighten me as to the joke?" Aya asked, with one perfect eyebrow raised at Youji.  
  
"Nothing, my friend, just thought you need to lighten up a bit. Be less tense." As Youji said this, he stood and walked around to Aya's side of the table. Aya tensed even further when Youji's long-fingered hands went to work on his shoulders, but after the initial touch, he began to relax. He sighed contentedly and pointed out the most tense muscles in his back, guiding his friend's strong hands to the spot. Nobody had given Aya a back massage since. well, since before he had joined Weiß. Unconsciously, Aya pushed up into Youji's hands, letting his head hang down to stretch sore muscles. Youji saw that Aya really needed this, and kept going. Aya let out a small yelp as Youji's kneading found a particularly tense knot of muscle and started to smooth it out. Finally, Youji was done. He patted Aya's shoulder awkwardly, and was startled to find that the redhead had fallen asleep in his seat. Though surprised, Youji picked up Aya in his arms and carried the limp figure of the previously tense Aya up the stairs and into Youji's room. Youji would have put Aya in his own room, but it was locked, and Youji didn't want to invade on Aya's privacy. The tall man laid Aya carefully under the covers and tucked him in, tucking a few stray strands of red hair behind Aya's ear. Almost all the bitter lines of unhappiness and of just living life were gone, smoothed away by relaxation.  
  
// He looks so beautiful when he sleeps. // thought Youji, stepping carefully away from the bed and turning away, looking back at the sleeping redhead over his shoulder as he closed the door. Aya shifted gently in his sleep, smiling slightly.  
  
~owari~  
  
Hehehe a bit of a twist in the plot. Chapter 3 and possibly 4 to be uploaded soon. Please don't be mad at me for not uploading sooner! Tell me how it is at rosevickery@msn.com. *_* ~~ 


	3. Don't Call Me That

Author's notes: oki doki folks, NEEEWWW CHAPTERRRRR UPLOADDDD! Be happy for me. So in this one, stuff happens. Sounds interesting to me. Anyways, please read and respond. I reeeaaallly want comments, and I only have TWO! * pouts sullenly *  
  
So please do that for me. I'll give you money! ^^ (rosevickery@msn.com)  
  
  
  
Aya yawned, stretched, and blinked his violet eyes, realizing that he had slept waaaaay late. Ah, hell, everyone else occasionally slept late. Why not him? Aya hadn't even missed a shift; unlike SOME people he knew when they slept in. Aya wriggled his back and shoulders into the squishy mattress. Wait. Aya didn't have a mattress, much less a squishy mattress. What was going on here? Also, the sun streamed in from the wrong angle, as though he was on the other side of the house. Then Aya sniffed hesitantly, knowing that he wasn't going to smell that normal, clean-house smell that occurred in his own room. When Aya smelled a faint musk mixed with a familiar smokiness, he knew immediately where he was. Youji's room. What the hell? Then his memories of that morning came flooding back. So he hadn't slept late. He remembered the backrub, how good it felt to get all of his over-tense muscles to relax and unknot themselves. He remembered the backrub, but what happened after it? That spot was a blank in his memory, like when he became too sleepy to focus on anybody after a mission and woke up the next morning without any really clear recollections of the night before. Except that it could be different now. Aya checked all his clothing, making sure that the flirt hadn't undressed him. Not that Youji would even want to undress me, Aya amended hastily in his mind. Youji made it plain that he was completely straight. Well, at least Aya's teammate had taken off Aya's boots and apron. They were folded neatly on a chair nearby. Aya sighed and pushed the heavy covers aside and tugged on his boots again. Tying his apron on, Aya made a face at it. He had caught Youji staring at the horrible color at least twice a day. Aya never called him on it, though, because he secretly agreed that the color looked horrible on him. Not that Aya would ever admit that Youji was right about anything to his face. Sighing again, Aya walked towards the door, and was suddenly struck by the inexplicable urge to spy on Youji. Shaking his head, Aya pushed open the door and stepped out into the dim hallway. As he walked down the stairs, Aya resolved that he was going to figure out what in hell happened that morning. Then Omi ran right into him, stumbling backwards and apologizing profusely.  
  
"Gomen, gomen nasai! I didn't mean to run into you, but Aya-kun, I have to talk to you for a second." Omi looked up from underneath his blonde fringe of bangs, biting his lip nervously. Aya chuckled, and Omi looked startled and even more apprehensive. This only served to make the normally emotionless Aya laugh harder, doubling over on the stairs and hanging on to the railing for balance, so he didn't fall over. Aya had no idea what had come over him. He hadn't laughed for a really long time. And he didn't feel as though he was dishonoring his parents' memory! That was a new one. He continued to laugh and laugh, prompting Omi to call Youji and Ken in fear of hysteria or something. When the two other members came running in, at first they didn't understand what was the problem. Then they realized that this was AYA practically rolling on the floor with laughter. Aya never even SMILED. Ken looked very worried.  
  
// First the romance novels, now a bout of hysterical laughter at nothing in particular! What the hell is going on here? //  
  
Youji voiced Ken's thought exactly. "What the hell is going on here?" the blonde assassin narrowed his eyes at Omi, then Aya (who was still bent over, gasping for breath) then Ken. "What the hell is going on with you, Aya? I've never seen you like this before!" Aya chuckled helplessly and started to unbend himself. The tableau held, Omi gnawing on his lip and Ken just standing there. Except for Youji and Aya, no one moved. As Aya tried to stand up straight, Youji moved to his assistance, putting an arm around Aya's shoulders and cupping the redhead's left elbow in his left hand. "Why don't we take this into the kitchen, Aya-kun?" Youji asked quietly, quite unlike his usual self. Since Aya was temporarily unable to decide anything (he was still fitfully giggling and had a big smile on his face), Youji took charge. "Ken, could you go close up shop for lunch?" At Ken's look, he continued. "And yes, I know it's early, but we've got a bit more on our hands than I thought. Aya is in no way ready to work in the shop. And, Omi?" Youji called the techie back from going to help Ken close up for lunch. When the youngster turned around, Youji said, "Could you make sure that the door to the back room is locked? I don't want any of those crazy fangirls to try to sneak in while we're gone." Omi nodded, a bit bewildered as to what the hell was going on. And why Youji was suddenly going all capable on the rest of the team. // Just when we thought we had 'im pegged, he does something weird. Ah well. // Omi and Ken both thought. They were both grateful for a leader to follow. Youji led Aya into the kitchen and sat him down in a chair. Aya, oddly enough, calmed down, sobered up, and became a hell of a lot more serious as soon as he wasn't in front of the two younger teammates. Aya leaned forward over the table and said, "Youji- kun, I know this is gonna sound unbelievably weird, but I just got back my laughter." Youji looked very startled.  
  
"Um. Well. Yeah. It does sound unbelievably strange, but it also makes a lot of sense. Sort of." Youji paused, trying to gather his thoughts, and blinked his green eyes a couple times. Aya just looked at him, an unreadable expression on his face, and waited for a more organized response. Then Youji slapped himself on the forehead, the picture of self- deprecation. "Kami-sama! How stupid of me! That's great, Aya. Congratulations on regaining the power to laugh. By way of Omi, no less. I gotta thank him for that." Youji trailed off at the odd look that Aya was giving him. "Wh- What? What did I say this time?!" Youji looked stricken. Aya smiled at him.  
  
// Damn. Now I have to get used to that. It's awfully unsettling, your previously emotionless leader going all soft on you. // Youji took a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly. Aya was still smiling at him. Urgh. // I'm never gonna be able to concentrate with that smile on his face. What am I going to do during missions? //  
  
"WHAT?!" Youji yelled all of a sudden. "Why in HELL are you SMILING AT ME?!" Aya just covered his mouth with one hand, unsuccessfully trying to cover a growing grin. Youji was always so high-strung. Aya sighed, and decided to explain the whole goddamn thing to his teammate right now. Aya sat up straight and tucked his eartails behind his ears in a reflexive nervous action. Now Youji was the one staring weirdly.  
  
"Alright. Time to set everything to rights again. I'm going to tell you, and only you, why I act the way I do all the time." Aya paused, and hesitantly asked Youji to close the kitchen door and lock it, too. At that request, Youji looked strangely at Aya, but complied. Once Youji returned to the table, Aya leaned forward again and began to talk.  
  
"I used to be a waiter. In a restaurant. I was good at my job, and I was also part of another branch of Kritiker at the time. Purely information- gathering, you understand. None of this assassin business. I was good at that job, too. and I had an imouto. I had parents, and family, and my imouto. My imouto." Aya looked down and swallowed, holding back tears. "She was very dear to me. I protected her. She was light in my dark world, even then. She was my friend as well as my sister. I loved her very much." Aya stopped, looking at his hands on the table. Youji wanted to ask a question, but he was afraid he'd break the spell and Aya would never speak to him again. Instead, he watched Aya's face, watched the emotions flit across a suddenly expressive face. It was strange, to look at Aya this way. It was like a marble statue come to life, complete with emotions and feelings. Wow. Aya lifted his head and met Youji's dark green eyes. "They all died. All of them but her." Aya tilted his head back, against the cold chair, and closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose in an effort to stay under control. Youji just sat there, in shock practically, and then raked a hand through his shoulder-length hair. He, too, had lost people. One person, to be exact, but no one else needed to know that. The odd thing was, he could feel Aya's pain, radiating off of the redhead, and he understood, even though he had never felt any particular kinship with his family. Actually he hated them, but this was not the time to pour out his own troubles all over Aya. Then Aya continued.  
  
"My imouto. is in a coma. She has been for a long time, and. everyone but me seems to think that she'll never wake up. I continue to hold on to that faint hope, though, because she was the only one besides me who survived the. the almost-accident. It wasn't an accident. That's why I hate the Takatori clan so much. They did it. Not that I hold it against Omi, he didn't have anything to do with it. Thank god." Youji couldn't help himself, the words just slipped out. "Oh, Aya-kun. I'm so sorry, so sorry." Youji rested his suddenly heavy head on one palm, staring sadly off into space, thinking. He was jerked out of his reverie by a word from Aya.  
  
"Don't." The redhead stated the word unequivocally, like a complete sentence. Startled, Youji asked, "What do you mean, 'don't'?" a puzzled frown making itself known on his face. Aya swung his head down from leaning against the chair to stare directly into Youji's bemused eyes for the third time that afternoon.  
  
"I mean, don't call me that," Aya said, his voice rough from trying to hold back tears.  
  
"What, Aya? Isn't that your name?" Youji stumbled over his words when it became obvious that the tall blonde had really put his foot in it now. Aya glared at him half-heartedly, then said simply, "No, it's not. Aya is my sister's name."  
  
"What is your name, then?" Youji queried, wondering where this was leading.  
  
"Ran. My name is Ran." Aya's voice became thick as he started to lose the battle to his tears. Youji wanted to help, but had to ask first, just so he wouldn't get his head bitten off. He advanced slowly, standing up and going around the table to Ay- no, Ran.  
  
"Um, Ran? Can I help?" Youji asked hesitantly, his hand hovering above a pale-skinned arm. Ran shrugged, a ghost of his trademark wry twist of the lips appearing.  
  
"If you want. I won't hurt you." At this, Youji immediately put his right arm around Ran's slender shoulders, pulling the suffering redhead to his chest. Using one long leg to hook a chair underneath him, Youji wrapped both arms around Ran's shaking torso, holding him close, and then the barrier broke. Ran collapsed into Youji's arms, sobbing his heart out. Youji rocked back and forth, stroking Ran's hair and cradling his grieving teammate gently. He could hear footsteps on the stairs through Ran's muffled sobs. Youji's shirt was getting wet with tears, but it didn't bother him in the least. He made soothing sounds as he rubbed Ran's back in slow circles, willing Omi and Ken to understand what was going on. Of course it didn't work, but it was worth a try. Youji held Ran's sodden head to his chest when Ken and Omi knocked at the same time, so that he wouldn't cry out or pull back. In fact, Youji had nothing to worry about. Ran continued to let salty tears soak into Youji's black shirt, ignoring completely the two "youngsters" yelling and screaming outside of the door. Finally, Youji had to console them somehow; they were just being so loud.  
  
// They must think we're killing each other or something. Which is funny because, for one, we are almost doing the exact opposite thing, and also because, no matter how much he threatens, Aya-Ran would never actually kill me just like that. // Youji fumbled with the communications device in his watch and then sent out a request to the other two to be quiet, they weren't a) killing each other, b) doing something nasty. When asked what was actually happening, Youji refused to say. "It's private business. Not yours. Ask R-Aya if you really want to know, but NOT RIGHT NOW." Youji managed to sound forbidding, get them to listen to him without asking more questions, and continue to sooth Ran's heaving sobs all at the same time. Quite a feat, but the lanky blonde managed it quite nicely for Ran's sake. The only slip was when he almost told Omi and Ken what "Aya's" real name was, but they didn't seem to notice. Finally they gave up and went away, grumbling at his high-and-mighty manner. Youji heaved a sigh of relief and was happy that Ran had stopped crying, not that it really mattered, since Youji's shirt was already sopping from tears.  
  
// Jesus, but that guy has a lot of pain! // was Youji's thought on the matter. Despite the lack of continuing tears, Ran still clung to Youji's thin body, as though the older assassin was his one and only delicate, fragile lifeline to keep the redhead from tumbling off into the darkness of grief and more pain.  
  
  
  
Hehehe. Finally, my first sort-of cliffhanger. Don't seem very cliffhanger- ish, do it? Hn. Anyways, R & R as always, I'm a slave for praise! (hehe- that rhymed!) So await my future ideas. Tried to write chapter four, but ended up writing "lemony goodness" in the kitchen, of all places. Probably will put it into fic later, for hentai enjoyment. Hehe.  
  
^_^ 


	4. I have a headache?

Although the current situation was a little irksome to Youji's heterosexual preferences and to his comfort as far as moisture level went, it was a lot more comfortable than some other situations he had been in.  
  
// Hell, at least he's pretty when he cries. // thought Youji, grimacing. // Where did that come from??? I'm so straight it hurts! //  
  
// oh FUCK! // Youji's mind screamed unhappily when he realized that he had to go to the bathroom. Bad. // Why is he doing this? I can't stand it much longer! // Youji sat there, looking down at the top of Ran's head. // Shit. I am in so much deep shit it is not even funny. Oh fuck. Why in hell did I have to try to comfort him? It never works when I try to do something like that. Oh nooo! // Youji tried to ease Ran off of him, but at first the other man didn't get it. Finally, Youji cleared his throat and pushed gently a Ran's arms simultaneously. The redhead took the hint and looked blearily up at his friend.  
  
"What is it, Yotan?"  
  
"Uh, nothing really, I… uh, just have to go to the bathroom…" Youji grinned weakly at Ran, hoping that he would be allowed to leave. Just for a second. Ran nodded and leaned back in his own chair, rubbing a tear-stained face with both hands. Youji carefully got up and stepped over the chair he had been sitting on, making for the door. He was nearly to the bathroom before Omi and Ken pounced on him.  
  
"What happened? Why were you guys all cooped up in the kitchen?" The genki teen and the ex-soccer player chorused just as their tall, blonde teammate was about to go into the bathroom.  
  
"Go ask R- Aya. I hafta go to the bathroom, okay? Kami-sama, can't you two give a guy some peace?" This last was muttered in an undertone as the door slammed shut in Ken and Omi's faces. They looked at one another, then bolted for the kitchen. The sight that greeted their eyes was one they didn't think they'd ever see, and it sure as hell wasn't the one they were expecting to see. The two younger assassins skidded to a halt in the doorway, and Aya {we're gonna call him that when he's not around Youji until he tells Omi and Ken his real name.} raised his head tiredly, looking worn out and absolutely exhausted. Omi and Ken stood there like idiots, stammering.  
  
"Aya- Um, yeah, I mean, what-Youji-what happened?" Was the general gist of things.  
  
"I cried my eyes out," said Aya dryly. "On Youji's shirt." They looked at him expectantly, waiting for more explanation. "Look, you guys, I'm not really ready to talk about it right now, okay? I might spill later if you don't pester me too much, so if you're about to ask a bunch of questions, go away." The wall was up again, not allowing Ken and Omi any more glimpses of the man underneath the mask. Ken nodded mutely and then said that he hoped Aya felt better. Omi followed suit and they both left after Aya told them that he'd be fine without them. However, when Youji came back, Aya was bowed over the table, his head resting on his arms and his shoulders visibly tense. Youji walked over uncertainly, wondering if Aya would kill him if he tried to help again. He stood over the redhead, not knowing what to do. Finally a muffled voice informed the "smart blonde" irritably that if he was going to be in the same room he might as well sit down instead of standing there gawking like Omi and Ken. Youji snagged a chair and pulled it up next to Aya, sitting on it backwards. One of Aya's eyes was visible to Youji from his viewpoint with his chin resting on the back of the chair. It looked at him wearily, and finally Youji spoke.  
  
"Are you going to tell them?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Would it help if I was with you? Or even if I told them instead?"  
  
"It would be… nice of you… to come along for the ride. But I want to be the one to do the talking."  
  
"Okay. Now or later?"  
  
"Later."  
  
"Alright. Want to sleep some more or something? I can take your shift, it wouldn't be a problem."  
  
The eye blinked, surprised, and indecision made itself clear in Aya's posture. "Umm… I'm not sure. I don't know if I'd be any good with the customers in this state, but I'm afraid I'll go off again if I'm alone and not working." Youji sat there for a moment, thinking, then came up with a solution.  
  
"How about we kick Ken and Omi off of their shift and I'll take it with you? You can do arrangements at the table and take care of the flowers, and I'll handle the customers. Does that sound alright?" Youji looked at Aya hopefully, wanting everything to be okay again. "Perhaps a little normality will make you feel steadier on your feet."  
  
The bright head of hair on the table nodded, ever so slightly, and Aya began to get up. Youji assisted him to the kitchen sink and stood over him like somebody's mother while Aya washed his face. With water dripping off of his chin and onto his shirt, Aya smirked at Youji standing there, as though he wanted to help wash Aya's face. Some mother-figure… A tall, slender man with seductive green eyes and wavy blondish-brown hair down to his broad shoulders, sunglasses pushed back in his hair, and skintight black clothing (a crop top, no less) he definitely didn't look like the fussing kind. Then again, mused Aya, he usually wasn't. Yet another hidden character trait. The blonde looked very sexy, especially to Aya, even if he was being a mother hen. Aya stood fully and reached over Youji's shoulder to get at the towel on a little rack there, but since his teammate was so tall, the slightly shorter Aya had to stand on tiptoe. Tiptoe was not his best position after a crying session, as he lost a lot of coordination. Aya got the towel, but promptly fell over onto Youji, like a broken marionette puppet. Youji's hands came up in surprise and rested flat on Aya's chest, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the dripping-wet redhead. He willed himself to relax, or something. It didn't work, and Youji was puzzled as to what was going on. He lifted Aya off and set his extremely tense teammate on his feet, making sure to keep his distance so he didn't make Aya mad. The other man wasn't meeting his eyes, as though he was trying to hide something.  
  
Aya was trying to stand on his own and hide his eyes at the same time, because with Youji, the redhead just couldn't make his eyes go all cold and blank. He just couldn't do it. The emotions in his heart would be plain to see if he met the playboy's eyes, and Aya wasn't ready to reveal his second secret yet. He suspected that he might never be ready, since Youji didn't seem to return his feelings in any way. // I mean, come ON, he's about as straight as a katana. How in hell could he ever return my affection for him? Much less my lust… // Aya smiled bitterly when Youji couldn't see, a twist of the mouth that was more grimace than grin. Finally he got his emotions under control and was able to look at his friend.  
  
"What's wrong, Aya? Are you all right?" Youji asked concernedly.  
  
"I'm just worn-out. I'm fine, really, I just need to sit down for a bit," Aya replied, feigning nonchalance. Youji, of course, fell for it, partly because the dark in the kitchen was obscuring Aya's violet eyes, and partly because he wanted to believe that his friend was fine, and not hurting in some obscure way. After being helped to the table, Aya leaned against the edge, keeping his back straight. // I am not weak. // thought the redhead sternly. // I will not fall over, I will go and help out in the shop. There is nothing wrong with me that a good day won't fix. // This said after he collapsed on his wire-wielding teammate, it was a VERY shaky argument, and Aya knew it. He took a deep breath and pushed himself up from the table's edge, heading towards the kitchen door, and beyond that the stairs to the shop. Youji trailed uncertainly behind, anxiously starting sentences and never finishing them.  
  
"Would you like… I mean, do you need… What can I…" Finally Aya turned around on the stairs, looking up at his caring but indecisive friend.  
  
"Youji-kun, just be quiet and help me down the goddamn stairs, okay? Stop babbling, it's giving both of us a headache."  
  
"Both of us? Oh, well, I guess I have a little ache behind my eyes. How'd you know that?" inquired the bumbling blonde.  
  
"I can tell when you get a headache when your shoulders tense up and you keep squinting your eyes," said Aya quietly, unwilling to let Youji know just how much he watched the other assassin. Earring swinging, Aya turned and went down the last few steps before Youji could respond or come to his aid.  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: Sorry this is sooo short!! I need more comments! Yes, I know it's not supposed to work that way, but… well, no one's responding!!  
  
Weiß boys: *sweatdrop and lay around on the couches and stuff in Rue-chan's room that don't actually exist.*  
  
Send me stuff and comments at rosevickery@msn.com! Onegai??? 


	5. I promise...

Youji let out a huge sigh and untied his apron, throwing it carelessly on the arranging counter next to Aya, who was still trying to do an arrangement of hothouse flowers that some restaurant had ordered for the next day, was having trouble concentrating on the brightly-colored arrangement due to the proximity of his secret crush's lean body. The florist/assassin jumped when Youji slung a long arm around his shoulders. Then he glared very hard at the uncooperative stems and tried to quell the shaking of his hands. Youji, oblivious to the debate going on inside Aya, calmly informed the shorter man that he was going outside for a smoke, now that the shift was over. Aya thought for a moment, then said something very surprising to Youji.  
  
"I think I'll come too. Ken and Omi can finish the stupid arrangement." The normally solemn and very responsible Aya grinned up at a startled Youji and put his arm around Youji's waist. They headed for the door like that, and when outside Youji pulled out a pack of cigarettes, tapped it against the palm of his hand and pulled a slim white cylinder out to light up. He wasn't surprised when Aya tugged the cigarette from his fingers, although he did protest. "Hey! Did you just come out here to deprive me of my nicotine? 'Cause you needn'tve come if you just wanted to –" and the mock- outraged smoker stopped short as the skin-and-bones man leaning against him brought the cig to his lips and inhaled with no trouble at all. The redhead tapped the ashes off of the end with obvious experience and ease, exhaling and letting the smoke stream out of his mouth. He half-smiled at Youji, looking up out of the corner of his eyes and through his eyelashes.  
  
"You didn't think you knew everything about me, did you? I used to be a steady smoker, until about eight years ago when I joined Weiß and realized that I couldn't run very far anymore without sounding like a steam engine. I quit, obviously." The redhead leaned back against the window box and took another puff of the cigarette while his shocked friend processed the information. Aya ran a pale-fingered hand through his hair, tugging at eartails and trying vainly to get them out of his face. Youji took another cigarette out and lit it, taking a few breaths before he spoke.  
  
"Um… Wow. I guess there is still a lot I don't know about you. Anything else I should know?"  
  
[[ Author's notes: The previous thing about "anything else I should know" is DIRECTLY TAKEN from dear medwind's story, "Take My Picture." That and the next line, anyways. I edited slightly 'cuz I can't get on the net right now and see what the exact quote is, and also because medwind's ficcie is from Youji's POV so it didn't quite work for this one. Medwind-san, pleeeeaaase don't kill me! ]]  
  
"Yes. I have a tattoo just above my right hip and a piercing in my right nipple." He smirked again. "And no, you may not see them."  
  
// Damn. And I was just gonna ask that, too…// thought Youji good- naturedly.  
  
{{end section from Medwind's fic}}  
  
"Um, yeah… oookaayy. This is weird," stated Youji.  
  
"If you say so," Aya replied doubtfully, smirking at his friend's discomfiture. Youji shifted away from Aya, trying to get away from the suddenly uncomfortable proximity of the redhead's body. Aya let him go, trailing cold fingers down Youji's arm.  
  
"Sheesh, man! You're cold! Why didn't you put on a coat, anyways?" Youji yelped out, and dragged Aya back inside to get a coat. The taller man pulled the first thing that came to his fingers off the hook and placed it unceremoniously on Aya's shoulders. Oddly enough, it turned out to be one of Youji's many, many jackets, coats, and sweaters. This one was black suede on the outside and black silk on the inside. It was down-lined, but not puffy, and Aya snuggled into it as they went back outside. He exaggerated his twisting motions as he became aware of Youji's eyes on him, burrowing sensuously into the yummy material. Youji stared at his teammate, wondering where he had learned to be so goddamn sexy, even just about putting on a coat.  
  
"Stop it." He said, continuing to stare.  
  
"No," Aya breathed, glancing up into Youji's green eyes. Aya was very aware of how he was affecting Youji, and he was enjoying himself immensely.  
  
"I said, stop it," Youji whined plaintively.  
  
"And I said no."  
  
"Oh, shit." Youji groaned and turned away, closing his eyes.  
  
"What?" asked Aya. "Are you okay?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you're… you're…"  
  
"Turning you on, and I'm a guy?"  
  
"…yes…" Aya laughed throatily at this one-word statement, betraying Youji's confusion.  
  
"And you think you're straight?" Aya snorted. "Riiiight, like anyone's gonna believe that with the way you're squirming now." Youji whipped his head around to stare at Aya's self-satisfied grin.  
  
"Why the hell are you hitting on me, all of a sudden?"  
  
"Because, you look great, and you like me as a friend already. And I've always thought that, so don't think I'm delirious all of a sudden. I'm not."  
  
"…" Youji ran his hands through his hair, then buried his face in his hands, hoping for oblivion if he couldn't see the source of his problems. // Like a cat, I am. // thought Youji tiredly. // If I can't see them, then they can't see me. //  
  
"You're right, if I wasn't sure you had been sobbing your eyes out on my shoulder and then working in the shop for the past five hours, I would swear that you had imbibed a large amount of very strong liquor and didn't have a terribly high tolerance in the first place." Aya's grin widened to Cheshire-cat-like proportions when he heard this last. He laughed; apparently it was something that one couldn't stop doing after one started.  
  
"No, actually, you have no idea what I'm like when I'm drunk." Youji looked at him like he was crazy, wondering what revelation would come out next about his mysterious friend. "I'm MUCH worse. In fact, when I was sixteen some friends took me out to a bar with a fake I.D. I ended up in bed with one of them. The next morning, I was still rather tipsy, which wasn't surprising because I hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night." At this point, Aya's mouth was quirking up at the edges again, remembering. "In fact, we… aaah… we became lovers." The small smile was back, not the huge grin of before. Youji couldn't believe that his formerly reserved teammate and friend was being this open with him. "It was fun. And he…" the smile faded to nothing, and Youji wanted to put his arms around Aya at the heartbroken and strangely reminiscent look that the redhead turned on him. "He… looked like you." Aya's head bowed down again, his shoulders bowed, be became a beaten man in front of his friend.  
  
"Ah… Kami-sama… I'm sorry Aya, forgive me but how did you lose him?" Youji had no idea why he was pressing for more information when Aya had just revealed a whole lot about himself without any pressure. Aya looked a lot like he had lost the best friend he ever had when he talked about that gut. // Friend and lover // Youji reminded himself.  
  
"Um… he—he—he was killed by a—a street gang." Aya mumbled hesitantly.  
  
"Oh, god, Aya, I am so sorry, so sorry…" Youji's words of comfort trailed off into the silence created by the newly falling snow and the lack of traffic. The tall assassin curled his arms around Aya's body, drawing him closer. "Let me comfort you, let me help, let me bring you back from the edge of sanity, let me …please, let me help." Came Youji's pained whispers in Aya's ear. The redhead was tear-stricken for the second time that day, curling into Youji's embrace. "I will let you help," he said, hoping to god that those words weren't just words.  
  
"Do you wanna go out tonight? We can have a really good time, I know this great place…" Youji said, again whispering into Aya's delicate ear as though they were on a mission.  
  
"Yeah…" said Aya, trying to get closer to Youji's body.  
  
"I'll get you nice and drunk, then we can come home and act like teenagers, okay?"  
  
"I promise…" said Aya.  
  
"I promise, what?"  
  
  
  
"I promise… I promise to never, ever call his name…"  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: (and today they're really long, too!)  
  
So I'm really, really, really sorry for not posting for the longest time!!!!! (I am a very busy girl… *hides Schu-honey behind her back* ) ^_____^ heheh. So anyways, evil Rue-chan has FINALLY WRITTEN A DRAMATIC ENDING TO ONE OF HER CHAPTERS!!!!!!!!!! Don't worry, even though that would have been a perfect ending to the fic, I'm a masochist so I'm gonna keep on writing. Urk.  
  
Youji: This is sooo weird, Rue-chan!!!  
  
Aya: … *snuggles up to Yo-tan*  
  
Youji: Ack! Get away from me… oh shit!  
  
Aya: *laps at Youji's neck* Mmmm…  
  
Youji: Mmmph!  
  
*muffled noises are heard while Rue-chan smiles innocently at the disgusted readers, trying vainly to hide the view of Aya's ass that can be seen behind her.*  
  
Uhmmm… yeah… sorry 'bout that…. ^-^;;; They get a little horny sometimes when I don't write lemons often enough…  
  
Anyways, I am a total SLAVE for responses! I will send you Moroccan food and chocolate if you respond!!! *hopes that people like Moroccan food, and of course how could anyone NOT like chocolate.* Gomen nasai for the oddness and stuff!!! Send me comments!!! Or email me at rosevickery@msn.com. 0_0 ( looks at everyone with Omi-eyes. 


	6. You have my coat!

Youji whistled as he walked out of the music store, swinging a plastic bag weighted down with CD's. The light snow crunched under his boots, and there weren't too many people about or driving. Going to a CD store in the evening hadn't been such a bad idea, then, even though Aya had protested that they would be late. "Late for what?" Youji had asked light-heartedly. "We have the whole night ahead of us!"  
  
So here he was, walking down the sidewalk at 6:00 pm, with a bag of music and a goofy grin on his face, both for Aya. Even though the redheaded assassin wasn't with him at that very moment (obviously, since the gifts he had for Aya were secret presents…) Youji still thought of him. How he had spilled all of his darkest secrets to Youji for almost no reason at all, how he had liked the flower arrangement from Youji even though he had no idea it was from Youji, how he had shown his past life as something he had enjoyed, that he hadn't always been a stick-up-his-ass prick with no expression in his eyes. Actually, that was what had surprised Youji the most, the eyes. The way that they filled with emotions when no one was looking, the way they opened up wide when he blushed. What all those people said, al the time, that eyes were the windows to a person's soul, they were right. Before, Youji had always known that they were windows to everyone's souls but Aya's. However, in the last few hours, Youji had come to appreciate those violet orbs very much. And as soon as Youji had gotten over the oddness of Aya's hitting on him, he had realized that he actually… He actually enjoyed it. Which was odd, since Youji had always been adamantly straight. Something to think about another time, since the Koneko no Sumu Ie was just around the corner. Now, he had to think of a way to get his plastic bag past his teammates and into his bedroom in order to think of a clever way to give them to Aya without him knowing the CD's were from Youji. Even for a trained P.I. and assassin like Youji, the problem was a tough one. How to sneak a relatively obvious plastic shopping bag past Aya, who would definitely be hounding him in nervousness about tonight? Well, the options were somewhat limited, as he couldn't slip it down his shirt… it was just too tight. However, he could put each CD individually into a pocket so they weren't so visible. Yes, that seemed like the best option at this stage. So as the tall playboy came up to the door of the Koneko, he put two CD's into each of his coat pockets and stuffed the crumpled-up plastic bag into the wastebasket next to the windowbox. Then he sauntered into the shop, whistling gaily and hoping no one questioned why his pockets were clicking. He faked nonchalance as he strode into the living room off the shop and took a quick peek around to see if Aya was lurking anywhere. Oddly enough, he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Youji hoped that that didn't mean that he was lurking out of sight. Now that would just suck for Youji's assassin senses. Fortunately for Yo-tan, he was able to get up and into his room without anyone asking uncomfortable questions about where he had been. Youji stealthily shut the door behind himself, uttering a sigh of relief and bolting the oak door with a quiet thud, and was promptly scared out of his wits when Aya's voice came from behind him, on the bed.  
  
"So, where were you that it needed such secrecy?" the redhead said in his normal low voice. Youji was so startled that he had to lean against the door so he didn't fall; he recovered quickly, though, so it wasn't really noticeable in the half-darkness.  
  
"Nothing that you need to know about," he said persuasively, trying his darnedest to make sure the charming exterior didn't fall away and reveal that he had a secret.  
  
"I think it is my business… after all, I didn't blow up in your face when you tried to help me too much."  
  
"That's a damned lame excuse and you know it," Youji said, a small smirk on his lips and in his voice. It really was a lame excuse, for all that it had been said in the sexiest voice he had ever heard. Aya uncurled himself from the bed and turned on the desk lamp, illuminating the entire room in reddish-gold light from the glass shade. It was actually a well-made lamp, something that one would expect in some wealthy businessman's study, not on the desk of a former P.I.-turned-assassin in the form of a playboy.  
  
"You really like this lamp?" the katana-wielding assassin asked disbelievingly.  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do!' Youji said huffily, getting slightly offended at the tone of voice Aya had adopted to ask him the question. Aya nodded and filed the information away in his brain for future use in Youji gift-buying.  
  
"Well, then… um, so when are we leaving?"  
  
"Let's see…" Youji muttered to himself, trying to figure out how long it would take him to hide the CD's in a place that his redhead would find them. "Well, let's say a half an hour, 'mkay?"  
  
"Um, okay. You sure that it won't take longer for you to get ready?" The slight frown on Aya's face nearly had Youji going into fits of giggles, it was just too cute for the whole 'I'm a tough, hardheaded, hardhearted, cold and unconcerned assassin' look that Aya cultivated.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. But don't leave, we have to find you something to wear!" Youji grinned recklessly and went over to his closet doors after carefully sliding his coat off onto the desk's chair. Aya started to protest, but stopped when he saw how much Youji was enjoying himself.  
  
"What do you want to wear?" Youji queried, looking over his shoulder as he pulled aside hangers and groups of clothes in the extremely crowded closet.  
  
"Umm, nothing too tight, but nothing too loose either. Something purple." Aya certainly surprised Youji with his definite opinions on this subject, but the playboy decided not to ask questions.  
  
"Okay, so… purple? Hmmm… What have we got here?" This as Youji pulled a dozen hangers or so out of the extensive collection. He held each one up for Aya's inspection, either tossing it back on the bed or putting it over the back of the chair, depending on an affirmative or negative reaction. Rejected were tight purple-red pleather pants that Youji hadn't thought Aya would like anyways, a light violet linen shirt which was apparently 'too conservative,' much to Youji's surprise, and a purple-themed leopard-print ensemble consisting of several hangers and very little clothing. The ones that were summarily deemed somewhat acceptable were a deep purple velour button-down shirt with only three buttons available for use, black vinyl shorts (a MAJOR surprise for the closet-owner), very, very soft leather pants in black, and a violet-ish netting shirt. Within twenty minutes the shorts and the net shirt were discarded on the grounds that the shorts would be too cold on the walk to and from the club and the color of the shirt clashed with Aya's eyes. This last observation having been made by Youji, he had to get a good close look at his redheaded teammate's eyes, allowing himself to notice how attractive those eyes were. Those de- selections being made, the clothing left was the velour shirt and the leather pants. Aya raised a slender red eyebrow at his friend and gestured towards the bathroom door.  
  
"What? You want me to leave my own room while you change?" Youji asked grumpily.  
  
"Yes. I'll show you when I'm done. Now leave." The stern tone of Aya's voice sent the semi-blonde trudging towards the bathroom door, casting baleful glances over his shoulder at the redhead. Aya waited until Youji's bathroom door was closed before he shucked off his clothing, eager to put on the clubbing attire. After a moment's hesitation, the boxers went, too, leaving Aya stark naked in the middle of Youji's room. {Now, if this were some sort of hentai fic, Youji would at this point peek out at Aya without him knowing.} Instead, Omi knocked on the door and almost barged in before Youji bellowed at him to stop and pounded frantically on the bathroom wall. Omi was rather confused, so Youji explained to him that Aya was changing in his room for going out, and that was why *he* was in the bathroom. Omi was still a bit puzzled by the turn of events, but he accepted it and continued to talk to Youji through the wall while Aya changed unnoticed. By the time Omi had heard what he wanted to know and gone away, Youji was getting impatient and Aya had finished changing clothing.  
  
"Youji-kun, you can come out now," Aya called out as he finished folding his everyday clothes.  
  
"I'm coming out," Youji yelled through the door, and opened it to a vision of purple and black and pale, pale skin. Youji took a step backwards and held onto the doorframe.  
  
"What?" Aya frowned slightly. "Is there something on my shirt?"  
  
"Umm- no, just- surprised is all." Youji stuttered with uncharacteristic speechlessness.  
  
"Why would you be surprised?"  
  
"No reason, none at all, but… Well, you look a lot different." Youji looked slightly troubled. "Um, I need to get dressed now, so it's your turn it the bathroom. The old Youji reappeared in a grin, and Aya sauntered towards the bathroom. Youji turned around to watch his receding back and ass, unaware that he was drooling slightly from the corner of his mouth. And a little line of blood running from one nostril… Luckily his body hadn't started reacting until after Aya had turned around! The slamming of the door startled Youji out of his reverie and into action. After cleaning himself up, he riffled through the closet, looking for something that would be understated but sexy.  
  
// Aw, to hell with understated! I wanna make Aya look good, but not make me look bad!// Youji went to town. Actually, he was going to go to town, but this time it was purely figurative language. He picked one of his most nosebleed-provoking outfits in colors that would compliment Aya's violet, red, and black. Youji's outfit consisted of a pair of shimmery, fish-scaled pants in silver material and a bright silver, paper-thin tee shirt that only reached the middle of his ribs. Deciding to leave the sunglasses behind for the night, Youji pulled his hair back into a ponytail with a purple elastic, something that only Aya would ever notice. The only jewelry were silver ear-cuffs on each ear. Youji then pulled on shoes, some very, very dark purple Doc Martens that he had picked up somewhere with the trademark layered soles. Then he called Aya out and unashamedly posed. Aya came over and smiled at him, and said, "Your pants are a little off." Youji was a bit miffed by this comment, and was protesting this meanness on Aya's part when he was surprised by Aya's slim white fingers grasping Youji's waistband and tugging *downward* sharply, so that the pants were about two inches lower than previously. Then Aya unbuttoned the top button of Youji's pants and smiled up at him, unnerving Youji by proving to have an extremely… well, sexy taste. Youji was left staring while Aya calmly picked up Youji's coat and slid it on, letting the tan suede fall open in the front. This revealed his shirt, fastened with only the bottom two buttons of three, and a silver cross necklace hanging down to just below the start of the fastenings on his shirt. In the back, when he turned around to pick up the house keys, the pants looked very thin. In fact, they were not very tight, just very form-fitting, showing off all that was possible with clothing on. The pants had wide cuffs on the bottom, rolled up because Youji was taller than Aya. The redhead looked over his shoulder at Youji. "Coming?" He asked sarcastically, dangling the keychain from his slender fingers and glancing up at Youji through his bangs in a decidedly suggestive fashion. "Um, yeah…" Youji said, not able to take his eyes off Aya. "You look… you look great. Very different." The famous honey-coated, quicksilver tongue of Kudou Youji recovered all of a sudden, allowing him to stop looking like a bumbling idiot. Aya smiled at his teammate, soon-to- be date, and headed for the door, still wearing Youji's coat.  
  
// His clothing smells of smoke and musk… // Aya thought to himself, unconsciously fingering the soft suede. Youji followed after, grabbing two pairs of gloves as an afterthought, and AYA's coat as a real thought. The redhead looked back to see what the rustling was a Youji pulled on the black leather trenchcoat, and had to suppress a grin. Actually, the black leather looked just fine on Youji. The reason that Aya was trying not to laugh was because Youji looked so comfortable in Aya's clothes—there really weren't that many people who could say that. In fact, a grand total of two as of now. They swept down the stairs and out the front door before Aya tried to stick his hands into the pockets of the coat and encountered the CD's.  
  
"Um, Yo-tan, did you leave CD's in your pockets?"  
  
"Eh- eheheheh… sorry 'bout that… it was supposed to be a surprise, the whole Secret Santa thing that Omi organized, but I guess it's out now." Youji blushed a little and looked at his feet. Aya grinned and pulled the cases out eagerly.  
  
"Arigatou, Arigatou, Youji-kun! What did you get me?" Youji, surprised at Aya's happy reaction, glanced over and pointed out the various titles and bands. Three were rock or pop of some sort, which Youji got because he thought Aya didn't listen to enough popular music, but the fourth was the taller man's favorite, something he sincerely cared whether Aya liked it or not. It was a mix he had asked his friend, a DJ, to make. It was all the songs that reminded him of Aya and their world as florist/assassins. Youji had titled it the Aya Mix. Not particularly creative, but the songs spoke for themselves, not the CD title. Aya withdrew this final CD from a pocket, carefully opening the jewel case and reading through the track list. He stared at it for a long time, making Youji worried that he didn't like it at all. "Um, if you don't like that one, I can take it back, it would be nothing at all, no trouble at all, it's nothing…" he trailed off as Aya shook his head, still not looking up.  
  
"This is the most generous thing anyone has ever done for me," he said softly, only now looking up at his worried friend. "I don't want you to ever, ever take this back."  
  
Youji sighed and promised he wouldn't. He couldn't tell Aya how heartbroken he would have been had the gift been refused, but thankfully he wouldn't need to think about that anymore. Youji slipped a comforting arm around Aya's shoulders and started to walk towards their destination, a club a few blocks from the shop.  
  
~~**~~**~~  
  
Author's Notes: I'm already working on the next installment. *works feverishly at the ficcie, hoping that the keyboard doesn't go bust on her* Soooo I love it if you leave me comments… like any other author in this place! So, onegai, respond or email me at mailto:rosevickery@msn.com! Pleeeaaaase? I don't have any more chocolate, but I have some apples… ^_^ 'Mkay people, time to go and work on the ficcie! And also, if there are any strange people out there who have decided that they actually like my writing style, I have two other fics up! Both V-day fics, but two very, very, very different types of plots. Even though they both involve the same two people… *ruechan covers her mouth unhappily* Oh NO!!! I just gave away part of one! Go, my sheep, (as darkhunter-chan says…) and read it! See it you can figure out which one I'm talking about.  
  
Anyways, here are some tahnkyou's to those of you who are commenting:  
  
Thanks, Soulstrife! I try, really I do… the balance is a hard aspect, one I'm not often successful at! ^-^  
  
Cwchan--- My hero-person! Wow, a celebrity likes my work! I'm flattered… Anyways, thank you so much. The cuteness was what I was going for. Glad you like it. No, really, you are the resident celeb!  
  
Pickles— The people will never end up happy? What are you, a sadist?! Probably, knowing you… okay, then, I know they won't end up happy, but who cares? The stuff in between also matters!  
  
Aisha_max--- I'm sooo glad another person out there thinks he isn't actually totally traumatized and ice-berg-ish from everything he's gone through! Actually, I must say I'm writing one o those fics right now, but… well, tahnx! I love it when I get to agree with my readers!  
  
Silrayn silverwolf—you'll GET more if you read more!!! I'm a total whore for praise. Pickles-chan, sorry about borrowing your phrase!  
  
Sara--- Yay! A fan! *does cheerleading inexplicably* oookay , but thank you so much! ^_^  
  
Darkhunter—Yeehaw! Here the sheep come! I AM THE SHEPHERD OF TIME AND SPACE!!!! WOOHOO!!! Okay, sorry about that one! And yes, Moroccan food is really good. Chocolate is better, tho! Anyways, Aya and Youji are happy about the lemon on the horizon, as well. The sheep will flock. So there.  
  
Aya + Youji: Rue-chan! We looove this fic!  
  
Youji: Yeah, and we want you to write more, soon.  
  
Aya: *grins evilly* Yeah, we want Rue-chan to write her FIRST LEMON!! *muhahahahaha*  
  
Rue-chan: Oh joy- now my characters are begging for a lemon… Tell me what I should do, people? Onegai? OOOoooonegaaaaaiiiiii??????? 


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